Trite

[El Lectro]

Jeez, I knew I should've put off looking into Sims 3 until a while after it was out, because now that I've read all the information on it, I cannot find it in myself to play The Sims 2, even with all expansions and a gig of hacks and custom content.  What I really like is that the player can recolor things themselves, including skins, eyes, and clothes.  That's going to be so much fun, and tide me over until the community devises tools to create new stuff.

The seamless neighborhood and simultaneous aging... It sounds like it'll be a constant resource hog, but still sounds pretty sweet.  Can finally visit my sim's friend's house and mooch some goods off of THEM.  Unless of course other houses aren't open to you, which would be stupid, considering yours is to them.  But!  Particularly the simultaneous aging appeals to me, since one of the biggest problems I ran into in the sims 2 was having way too many families to keep track of, and hardly enough time to play them all, much less keep them on the same time table if I'm storytelling.

Is anyone else turned off to the sims 2, having done their homework on 3?

[kaoz666]

It's nice to see someone so optimistic about the release, but I read the same info you've obviously read, and while all of the positives you mentioned would make for some interesting things gameplay wise, it's the front end of the game that has me totally turned off. Having to register the game to access EA's CC, and subsequently having to subscribe to EA's "Partners" to do the same doesn't sit well for me. You didn't have to on TS1 and TS2, why the change all of sudden on TS3? Another aspect, the inability to import custom meshes. By by custom body shapes and objects. You're going to be forced to play with what EAxis wants to to have on the game, and only what they want on the game. Even if you can color everything including skintones and eye color, what difference does it make when they look like manikins? Last I checked skin didn't look like plastic. There's more to customizing the game for me personally then a color wheel. And that for the most part is all we're really getting. So you'll be able to recolor everything on the game. Which means you'll have 50 different colors of the SAME outfit. Not very fun IMO. Without the ability to import custom meshes to the game, that nixes any possibility of say...custom stiletto boots, or high heels beyond the Maxis defaults. Or the even more interesting, innovative and in some cases riske meshes we have on TS2. I'm not at all trying to shoot down your enthusiasm, it's yours to have. If what little bit of new stuff they're putting on make you happy, that's your prerogative. But IMO the old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" takes center stage when describing TS3 compared to TS2. The game needs more, a LOT more for me to even warrant forking over $59 bucks for it. And the idea of not being able to add new meshes to the game, as well as the policy of CC pretty much turns me off completely. It takes more then a new bells and whistles to make a good game. So far, that's all I see in TS3.

[SimGirl20]

Well I'm going to try to be optimistic with TS3 I am hoping that I won't regret spending 50$ on it and that it will surpass my expectations, but right now I am so sick of TS2 that I won't even pick up the game because I am so anxious to see what all the fuss is about the sequel..so yes I feel the same way you do about the TS2. Dont get me wrong though if I buy the game next month, pop it in, and feel like its not what I wanted as far as game-play goes, I will defiantly be taking it out and let it gather dust while I enjoy my Sims 2 again until some of those awesome CC and mod makers out there start making some really nice stuff like I have seen for TS2..but I don't want to rain on anyones parade but I think were going to be in for a BIG surprise once we find out the game has been locked down so tight that no one can get it in to make mods..but who knows right?

[El Lectro]

 I'm not so sure that mesh importing or modifications won't be possible, as I haven't heard anything specific about that subject from the developers.  Yes, one could argue that they intend to corner the market on all custom content via the store, but I very much doubt it.  Even if they're not going to help modders mod, can they really stop them? I think it's just a matter of time before some determined soul goes to the work of creating tools that open up the ability to create and modify.  I'd be surprised if they managed an unhackable game, and alarmed that they'd even want to.

At any rate, I don't see it as a loss.  The game such as it is seems like it'll be fun.  I just treat it as a separate game, rather than a hijacking of a game I was already playing.  I'll have fun with it, I think, and time will tell if it's worth playing in the long run.

Plus I might be getting it for my birthday on the 21st, so really no loss on my part.  I just hope my computer can play it for the person I'd be getting it from.

[kaoz666]

For the record, I don't at all in all of my ranting mean or think that the game will flop. That's impossible. But it most certainly will not pull in the numbers initially that TS2 did when the base game came out. And from a fiscal vantage point, that may as well be a flop anyway. EA's intentions in the development of TS3 was to try and corner a wider demo of users. The problem is in many ways of doing so, they might have turned of some of the long standing users, and most certainly the modding community. Trust me when I say that EA is and WILL do everything in their power to make sure no importation of new meshes or coding will be done to this game. The last thing they want is modders taking it apart and turning it into something beyond what they wanted it to be, as is what happened in TS2. Do you think EA wants a McNutty's Wild WooHoo shower in TS3? Not a chance. They will safeguard the game to the highest extent possible up to and including potential legal action to ensure no such mods are made. And for the users who like their game "Rated R to XXX", the last thing they want is a game that's rated PG-13. It's all for the purpose of EA trying to avoid the legal crap they went through in the infancy of TS2, and it will most certainly take some of the steam that TS3 might have initially had.

[SimGirl20]

I have to agree with you there Kaoz666 the more I look at some of the other forums talking about how nit picky EA is being over anything goes as far as modding and CC goes I know deep down inside the reason the game was delayed was so that EA could make sure no one could wreck there perfect little franchise more than we already have but this is how I feel and this is where I stand as far as The Sims franchise EULA goes, I feel like if my hard-earned money goes to EA and I have to take my time to register a game I feel like it is mine and I can do with it whatever the hell I please so if EA/Maxis wants to dictate every little move we the community make as far as the game goes, let them go right ahead and loose a couple million sells. I'm not going to lose any sleep at night over them, its there own stupidity that will ultimately make there corporation go belly-up and I was on TheSims3.com and has anyone seen some of the videos on there that albeit EA payed those so called 'featured artists' to mouth about the game I laughed so hard on one in particular I'll have to link you to it directly but it was the one where they guy says and I quote

"The sims in the sims 3 look so freakishly realistic its like looking in a mirror if you were to make a sim of  your self, it really is!"

Ha! who is EA kidding?  

[Magicflute]

El Lectro, I am totally in the same boat as you! Lately I've only been playing 2 to figure out which of my sims I like the best and want to recreate in the 3! It's kind of sad actually ...  I am kind trying to reserve my excitement a little though. I am afraid of the possibility of not having CC. I think that people will eventually figure out how though even if it's not possible at first, so I'm trying to be hopeful!

I kind of feel like the potential of having sims that will actually function on their own will make the game infinitely more interesting and I'm pretty psyched for it. Here's to hoping it lives up to the hype!! 

[ma.]

Now, I won't say that I'm getting tired of TS2 (because I've been trying to get the last three EPs I needed for my mac), but I know that I'm really looking forward to being able to customizing colouring items the way I want them to be and designing clothes I'd actually wear.

[Alotta Paine X2]

I'm leaning towards not getting The Sims 3. I have a reservation for the game. It's more like 70 bucks or so. I guess they are charging me for the "extra goodies".

I enjoy the CC , like I said before I think I dl more than I play the game. Everyone has their own spin on why the don't or do want the game. One of the reasons why I ppl love the game and continue to deal with EA's bull is all the CC, and Mods they can get. What you have to understand it's not about playing a  vanilla game. It's about how EA is trying to take us for a ride, destroy our computers, and basically not give a crap about us. So I guess I will cancel my reservation and I'll wait and see what the good ppl will do for/to The Sims 3. I still enjoy playing the sim 2 and finding new things everyday. That's my 3 cent (har har)

[Magicflute]

Not saying that I completely disagree with all of you who have reservations about 3, (I think they are perfectly reasonable honestly) and I completely understand where you are coming from. But, I do think that the reason that El Lectro started this thread was to find out who is excited for the game, not who isn't. Most of the other threads in the Sims 3 buzz area have turned into debate threads over the game and it would be nice to not do that in one ... just saying. 

[El Lectro]

It's okay, the wild speculation is entertaining to say the least.

One thing I'm curious about here is what this Emperor thingit be in the lifetime wants.  I'm thinking either military or a different branch of the political career path.  It'll certainly suit my sim alter-ego, El Lectro, who wants to be a Latin American Dictator.  I or someone else just needs to create a Latin themed hood sometime after release.

All these career oriented perks and idiosyncracies interest me as well.  It looks like you'll be able to throw fund-raising parties as a political person, and an evil or materialistic sim in the political path can skim money off the top of the funds raised lol.  Maybe Captain Hero (if there is a superhero branch of the law enforcement thingit) can actually fly to different places rather than drive a car.  And the different reactions to what your career status are prove interesting as well.

[Leslie07]

I was going to buy Sims 3 at first, but after reading all the info that's out (ie: no CC, meshes or bodyshapes ect) I'm not so sure now. I wonder if they will even bother coming up with EPs and Stuff packs later on?

[kaoz666]

Oh they will, make no bones about it. What I think a few of the people who have posted in this thread (Including the one who started it) fail to take into account is this is a base game. The base game will be barebones for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. Do you know how long it took for any note worthy content to come out for TS2 was? At least 2 years. It wasn't until WELL after Nightlife was released that you started seeing things worth adding to your DL folder. And this was with the ability to import meshes. Now take into account the fact that you can't import meshes in TS3. This means all of the kick ass content that comes down the pipe, even the stuff that's distributed before the 1st EP is even released...will be coming from EA. And guess what? If you want it, you'll have to pay for it. And ALL of it. EA has in essence guaranteed that ALL desirable CC for TS3 will be in house, and thus they'll be able to profit from it. That's not "Wild Speculation", that's business. And I know a thing or two about business, especially game development and distribution. It's a shrewd move on EA's part to make damn sure that they have a vice grip on TS3's CC, what's allowed, what's not allowed, and more importantly how it's distributed. And that's what has people crying foul. Let me put it in a more simpler term...it's be like going to your local Burger King, ordering a Whopper, Fries and a Drink, then finding out you had to pay for Ketchup, Napkins and a Straw. And you wonder why people are up at arms over it?

It'd be a different issue of it were just EA content alone being charged a fee for. But the CC issue encompasses ALL CC. Even user created stuff. Do you think even for a second that a place like TSR is going to let the more desirable CC they have for TS3 go for free? Not a chance. That's what has the masses in a tiff. So in the long run, you will eventually see awesome content for TS3. Just be ready to have those credit cards ready when you do.

[MaryH]

So in the long run, you will eventually see awesome content for TS3. Just be ready to have those credit cards ready when you do.

If this works the way you've described it, there will be a huge shortfall on EA's part to realize one thing:

Not everyone has a credit card.

Last time I knew, there was a recession on, and parents who are just barely hanging on are not going to give junior or little miss a damned card to buy anything with-that's one thing that will not happen.

Second, most people who do use credit cards are smart enough to know what the charges are going to cost them. The price of the pixel? Triple it on your card, and it becomes damned expensive for a game. No, I think EA is going to find that not everyone is going to fall into the trap they've set up.

I furthermore think that between the hackers and the really good modders that the game will not only be hacked within 3 months after release, it will be pirated as heavily as Spore was, making the EA Store worthless and TSR even more so.

That means the content will start to flow out of the grip of EA and into the hands of people who know what they're doing-but it is going to take a while. Free sites are not going to go away, and if EA insists on taking Sims 3 hostage, they're going to find out what a determined bunch of people the "anti-paysite" crowd is. They love a challenge, and they're ready to take on EA.

I'm betting on them to do it, and better than EA ever could. I'm going to enjoy the war while it lasts.

[kaoz666]

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO glad you made that post, Mary. Finally someone else who sees the bitter reality of what's going to happen after the game comes out. EA has done everything in their power to fail-safe TS3, even down to CC distribution. And by putting the game's code under such heavy lock & key, that's only going to make the hackers and crackers do double time to pop open Pandora's Box. Of course having to register the game means that if you do get it by "non supported" means (And in no way do I condone pirating, but at this point c'mon...EVERYONE'S gotten pirated software on their comps in some way. How many of you actually paid the $500 it costs for Photoshop CS? I arrest my case.) you won't be able to access the EA distributed CC, but bet your ass someone will find a way around that as well. I'm not trying to shoot down the hopes that people have of the game being good. I'm trying to point out the fact that there's a firestorm that's going to follow it's release that might make it seem it wasn't even worth the purchase. EA trying to cash in on the demand of CC while also limit it so that they dictate when and how all noteworthy CC is released. Is it right? Not by any means. But the game is their IP (Intellectual Property) so they can do what they want with it, even if it means shafting potential and or past users of the older SKUs in the process. Anyone who thinks they're going to by TS3, install it and just enjoy it without hassles or even bugs (They pushed the game 3 months, and I bet there's STILL gonna be bugs that need to be patched.) is living in a bigger fantasy world the the one our sims live in. Will the game move units? Yes. It's AFTER the release date when the poop hits the fans on the CC issue as well as the game getting hacked cracked and torrented across the net that I'm waiting to see.